Improved machine foe cutting soap into slabs



No. 81,200. PATENTED AUG. 18, 1868.

G. T. PALMER & P. P. BUSH. MAGHINB FOR CUTTING SOAP INTO SLABS.

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GEORGE T. PALMER, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, AND PHILO P. B USH,OF=

NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

Letters Patent No. 81,200, dated August 18, 1868.

IMPROVED mourns 'roR CUTTING sour INTO SLABS.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Beit known that we, GEORGE T. PALMER, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings, in the State of New York, .andPHILO I..B'USII, of New Haven, in the county of New Haven, in the State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Machine for Cutting Masses of Soap into Slabs and into Bars; and redo hereby declare that the following is a. full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation thereof, reference being bad to the annexed sheet of drawings, which make a part of this specification.

The nature of our invention more particularly consists in making a machine to cut masses of soap into slabs, and. iuto hars, while the soap remains upon the bed-piece of the frame in which it has been moulded,v and the lied-piece resting upon the floor of. the factory; and after the cutting has been effected, to be enabled to pass the frame of the machine onward in a direct line over the cut soap, and over thenext mass of soap in line which is to be cut, and thus proceed inilikc manner from one mass of soap to another in'line, until the frames of soap (which may be the whole length of the factory-room) have been cut, when it will be only necessary to roll the machine to the first mass of soap in the next line, and proceed in like manner, until the whole of the soap which is ready for cutting has been rendered intobars.

The machine and cutting-frames are so made and arranged that a mass of soap can be cut into bars, and the machine passedoff from the cut so'ap, leaving it free, and clear of obstruction to the workmen when the bars are bcing stamp'ed and racked; also, the whole work of cutting the mass of soap into slaos and bars, and

the machine passed ofi' from the cut soap, can be donciwithout the necessity of making a back draw of the wires after the cutting is effected.

The machine isequally well adapted to he run over a mass of soap, and cut it up, when the masses of soap are in line, with their sides toward eac other, and then. be withdrawn and run over the next mass of soap, and repeat the operation of cutting.

In the annexed drawings-- Figure 1 is a perspective view of our. improved machine for cutting soap.

Figure 2 is a pcrspective view of the frames C and N, by which a vertical cut is made through the soap.

Figure 3 is a face view of the removable cutting-wire frame D, by which a horizontal cut is made through tlie mass of soup.

Similar letters in the diflerent drawings denote like parts, and in which- A is the frame of the machine, and is mostly made of wood. The sides of the machine are composed of uprights ff, rails k, and such other suitnblc'partsand braces which would, be adapted to the arrangement of the slides, or guides to tliecntting or carrier-frames, and the gearing or connections for the purpose of efi'eot ing the cutting, however they may be arranged, The sides of the frame A are combined and held together by the cross-rails g and h, and are supported at the bottom by the removable braces M M which prevent the lower part of the frame A and lower part of the cutting-wire frame D from being compressed ormli'awn inward when the frame D is pressing its cutting-wires through the soap.

B is a. horinormally-moving, open-bottomed, or inverted u-shaped carrier-frame, upon which the openbottomed or inverted u-snnpe-l cutting-wire frame D is secured on the face thereof. a a are steadying-plates, attached to the frame 13, and whose extr me ed nos protrude into the grooves i i, in rails I; It". i v 1 b b are rollers, attachedto plates a a. but ribs, additional rollers, or other suitable means of support, may be substituted therefor.

' c c c are cuttingwires, on frames l) and Ii. l

The cutting-wire frame D-issecured, by pins or sorews through holes w 'w, to the carrier-frame B, but spring'catches, or other suitable means of securely holding it in position, that can. be readily detached, will serve tl o piirposeh I F is a removablewindlass, which is supported'in bearings pp, and extends across the end of the frame K K are ropes, one end of which is secured to the windlass F, and the other ends attached to the sides of I the frame B by links or hooks. I

C isa carrier-frame, to which the cutting-wire frame N is attached by means of pins 11w. 'i'he pins 2) u may be substituted by spring-catches, or other well-known devices, whereby the frame N may be held ngainst'the carrier-frame C, and also readily released therefrom when required.

n n are projecting arms to frame C, which protrude through between the uprights ff", and to wmcn Hm chains L' are attached, parts of which are shown in fig. 2. E E are grooved cliaimpulleys, attached to the bottom of frame A. E E are double driving chainpulleys. I E' E may also be driving-pulleys, in order to drive or work the cutting frames from both ends of the machine, if it should be required; but in all ordinary cases it will be sufiicient to work the cutting-frames from one end of the machine-only. I

The chains L Lia-re attached to thcarms n of the frame C, and pass over the driving-pulleys E E, and under the loose pulleysE E. The chains L L are flat-linked. chains, and are attached to the arms at, at the opposite end of frame 0, and pass over pulleys E E, and driving-pulleys E" E", and under pulleys E, 50 that when the driving-pulleys E E are turned, the frames 0 and N will bc'moved up or down, in accordance with the direction that the driving-pulleys are turned.

J is a shaft, to which the driving-pulleys E E" and wheel G are attached.

0 o are lipped plates, secured to the rails 70 70, which support the braces M Min place. The braces M M may be hinged to the frame A, or supported and secured to it in any suitable way.

25 t are caster-rollers. I

P P are pinions, which gear into the wheels G and H.

I I are driving-handles.

R is a removable board, (which is shown by the dottcd lines,) for the purpose of supporting the mass of soap against the pressure exercised upon it when it is being cut by the wires of the frame D.

Any suitable means may be usedto adjust the machine or cutting-wire frames to the proper position to cut the soap, but the bed-piece of the mould-frames sheuldbe made uniform, and of a size to fit the bottom of the machine, which would supersede the necessity of special adjustment.

We have herein shown a simple means of gearing and connections for operating the cutting-wire frames, butwe do not confine ourselves to any particular arrangement or description of gearing or connections for moving the frames for cutting the soap; neither do we confine ourselves to the position or arrangement of the guides to the carrier andv cutting-wire frames, as they may also be modified, so that the guides may be made at the centre of the frames, or at any position between the ends of the frames. Thepulleys and chains, andthe ropes herein shown, may be placed either inside or outside of the frame A, which may be best suited to any change made in the arrangements for operating the cutting-frames, and the parts of the frame Amay be changed to adapt it to such alteration. Cross-wires may also he used in the same frame, to out bars in short engths.

a The operation of the machine is thus: Strip the sides of the mould-frames Irom the mass of soap. Item ove from the machine the braces M, Windlass F, support R, and frames B D, or such parts as may be necessary. Then run the machine over the inassof soap; place the support R in position at the Windlass-end of the machine, and the frames 13 D at the opposite end; place the Windlass F in the supports 1), book on the ropes K to the frame F), replace the braces llL-nnd the machine will'be ready for world Then turn the pinion P by means of handle I, which will rotate the wheel II and Windlass F, and wind up the ropes K, and thereby draw the cuttingwires 0 c a, of frame D, through the soap, in a horizontal line,'and cut it into slabs, afterwhich remove the windlass F, support R, and frames B D. The soap being cut into slabs, turn the pinion by means of handles I, which will rotate the wheel G and pulleys E E, which will operate the chains L L, and bring the frames C and N downward, and thereby produce a vertical cutthrough the slabs of soap, and render itinto bars, after which remove the pins 1) 11, when the frame N will be, released from the frame 0, and rest at the bottom of the vertical cut in the soap, and run the carrier-frame 0 up to the top of frame A, clear of the cut soap. Then remove the braces M, and roll the machine-away from the cut soap, and over the next mass of soap to be cut, when replace the cutting-wire frame N by a duplicate thereof, and replace the removed parts, when the machine will be ready to repeat the operation of cutting.

When duplicates of the cutting-wire frames N are kept on hand, the machine may be kept to work while thc'cut soap or bars are being stamped and racked.

When it is'requircd tocut a different-sized bar, the frames N and D are replaced by other frames, having cutting-wires gauged to the proper width.

The machine may be provided with a register or tally, to denote the number of masses or frames of soa cut by it, should it be required, and attached to it at anyplace convenient, to connect with the working parts of the machine to make it register.

It will be observed that in our machine the frame A is open lengthwise at the bottom, and can be made to rass on and embrace the mass of soap, and cut it into slabs, and then into bars, and then passed off, and away 'rom the cut soap, in the same direction, thus passing over and away from the rsoap in a direct line; also, that ioth the cutter-wire frames move in the process of cutting the soap, each cutting-frameindependently of the ther, the soap remaining still upon its bed-piece, and not moved in the process of being cut.

The three principal features we claim input improved machine are, first, that the frame of the machinean pass on and over the mass of soap to be out: and after the soap lias been cut, pass away from it in a straight no to the next mass of soap, and repeat the operation of cutting; second, that the ltorizontally-slabbing frame and the vcrtieally cut'ting frame both move, and independently of each other; third, that the soap is cut intoslabs, and then into bars, while it is at rest, and the machine moved away, clear' from the cut soap, without the necessity of back-drawing the cutting-wires.

Our improved machine (when properly constructed, and arranged with the bed-pieces of the soap-mould frames) will enable one man to out a mass of soap weighing from ten to fifteen hundred pounds into slabs, and then into bars, (inclusive of moving the machine to and from the soap,) in much less time than the space of ten minutes, and cut it more evenly, and in a superior manner, than it is possible to cut the soap by hand, in the manner now practised. 4

There has-not been made, as yet, a soap-cutting machine that has come into generai use, or that would meet the exigencies of the case,or the requirements of soap-manufacturers, apart from this. our improved machine.

Having thus described our improved soap-cutting machine, what we claim as our invention therein is- 1. The open-bottomed frame A, made in such manner that it may be passed entirely over a mass of soap, substantially as and for. the purpose herein shown and described.

2. The reciprocating carrier-frame 0, when made separate from the cutting-wire frame N, for the purpose shown and described. I

8. The combination, andarrangement, in relation to each' other, of the earrier frame C and removable cutting-wire frame N, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The horizontally-moving, open-bottomed, or inverted U-shaped carrier-framc B, for the purpose herein shown and described, said frame moving independently of and disconnected from frames 0 and N.

5. The open-bottomed or inverted U-shaped cutting-wire frame D, for the purpose of cutting, masses of soap, said frame being independent of and disconnected from frames 0 and N.

6. The combination, and arrangement in relation to each other, of the carrier-frame B and removable cutter-wire frame D, substantially as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

7. The 'windlass F, arranged across the end of the frame of the machine, for the purpose shown and described.

8. The removable or shifting braces M M, or their equivalents, for the purpose herein shown and set forth.

9. Operating the eutting-wire frames of a soap-cutting machine with chains and pulleys, and such suitable gearing and means of propulsion as may be required therefor, substantially as herein shown and set forth.

10. A. soap-cutting machine, composed of frame A, independent vertically-moving euttingframc N, and independent horizontally-moving cutting-frame D, when combined with-suitable gearor means for operating the cutting-frames,substantially asherein described.

.. GEORGE T. PALMER,

' PHILO P. BUSH. Witnesses:

T. G. Bnsn, LnwIs W. UPHAM. 

